Lionel Aingimea
{{short description|President of Nauru from 2019 to 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix = His Excellency
| name = Lionel Aingimea
| honorific_suffix = MP
| image = Lionel Aingimea.jpg
| caption = Aingimea in 2019
| office = President of Nauru
| term_start = 27 August 2019
| term_end = 28 September 2022
| deputy = Martin Hunt[http://www.loopnauru.com/nauru-news/all-new-cabinet-named-nauru-president-aingimea-86628 All new Cabinet named by Nauru President Aingimea] Loop Nauru, 29 August 2019
| predecessor = Baron Waqa
| successor = Russ Kun
| order2 = Minister Assisting the President
| president2 = David Adeang
| term_start2 = 30 October 2023
| term_end2 =
| predecessor2 = Martin Hunt
| successor2 =
| office3 = Assistant Minister for Justice and Border Control
| term_start3 = 2016
| term_end3 = 2019
| office4 = Member of Parliament for Meneng
| term_start4 = 2016
| term_end4 =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1965|9|2|df=y}}
| birth_place =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| party = Independent
| spouse = {{marriage|Ingrid Engar|1985|}}
}}
Lionel Rouwen Aingimea (born 2 September 1965){{cite web |publisher=Administration of Nauru |title=Government Gazette 13th September 1965 |url=http://ronlaw.gov.nr/nauru_lpms/files/gazettes/40dc6be0173569a4f00104cb5fee2586.pdf |website=Ronlaw.gov.nr}} is a Nauruan lawyer and politician. He served as President of Nauru from 2019 to 2022.[https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/420434/usp-governance-needs-improvement-aingimea USP governance needs improvement: Aingimea] Radio New Zealand, 3 July 2020[https://web.archive.org/web/20210602220130/http://naurugov.nr/media/63916/nauru_bulletin__14_11sep2019__198_.pdf Lionel Aingimea is Nauru's 15th President] Nauru Bulletin, 11 September 2019 He currently serves as Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Nauru.
Early life
Aingimea was born in September 1965 into the Deiboe tribe. He studied law in Australia and subsequently worked for the Regional Rights Resource Team NGO,[https://www.dw.com/en/nauru-parliament-picks-lawyer-lionel-aingimea-for-president/a-50178490 Nauru Parliament picks lawyer Lionel Aingimea for president] Deutsche Welle, 27 August 2019 and as a public defender in the Marshall Islands.[https://www.pmnnews.co.nz/post/barrister-lionel-rouwen-aingimea-elected-as-president-of-nauru Lionel Rouwen Aingimea elected President of Nauru] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190828135015/https://www.pmnnews.co.nz/post/barrister-lionel-rouwen-aingimea-elected-as-president-of-nauru |date=2019-08-28 }} PMN News, 27 August 2019 He later worked as a lecturer in law at the University of the South Pacific. On 20 December 1985, Aingemea married Ingrid Engar.{{Cite journal |last=Cain|first=M. B.|date=8 January 1986|title=MARRIAGES|url=http://ronlaw.gov.nr/nauru_lpms/files/gazettes/3c7281fdbbdb245cce48cd7730c6ef02.pdf|journal=Republic of Nauru Government Gazette |issue=2|page=6}}
Political career
Aingimea ran for election to Parliament in the Meneng Constituency in 2013, but failed to be elected. Following the elections, he joined the new administration of President Baron Waqa as Secretary for Justice.
After successfully contesting the Meneng seat in the 2016 elections, he was appointed Assistant Minister for Justice and Border Control in Waqa's government, serving under Minister for Justice David Adeang. He was re-elected in the 2019 elections, which saw Waqa lose his seat. Following the elections, he was elected President by Parliament, defeating Adeang by twelve votes to six.[https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-27/nauru-parliament-elects-new-president-lionel-aingimea/11454598 Nauru's Parliament elects former human rights lawyer Lionel Aingimea as President] ABC News, 27 August 2019
After Russ Kun's election as president, on 28 September 2022, Aingimea began serving as Deputy Speaker under Speaker Marcus Stephen.{{Cite web |date=2022-09-28 |title=Pacific news in brief for September 28 |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/475656/pacific-news-in-brief-for-september-28 |access-date=2022-09-28 |website=RNZ |language=en-nz}}
After President David Adeang was sworn in on 30 October 2023, Aingimea was made Minister for Justice, Foreign Affairs, the Nauru Police Force, Nauru Port, Nauru Shipping Line and Minister Assisting the President.{{Cite web |date=31 October 2023|title=Nauru's President Adeang sworn in, names his Cabinet|url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/501366/nauru-s-president-adeang-sworn-in-names-his-cabinet|access-date=1 November 2023|website=RNZ |language=en-nz}}
References
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Category:Members of the Parliament of Nauru
Category:Ministers Assisting the President of Nauru
Category:Academic staff of the University of the South Pacific